New Discovery in the Microbiome
April 9, 2024 | Terry Sharrer
“Here, we [researchers at Stanford and collaborating labs] describe the “Obelisks,” a previously unrecognised class of viroid-like elements that we first identified in human gut metatranscriptomic data. “Obelisks” share several properties: (i) apparently circular RNA ∼1kb genome assemblies, (ii) predicted rod-like secondary structures encompassing the entire genome, and (iii) open reading frames coding for a novel protein superfamily, which we call the “Oblins”. We find that Obelisks form their own distinct phylogenetic group with no detectable sequence or structural similarity to known biological agents.” MORE
Image Credit: BioRxiv